A Microsoft executive sent out a snotty email chastising anyone who has been encouraging people to purchase the Vista upgrade and install it without owning a valid Windows license. People discovered long ago that the Vista upgrade, which costs half of what full license costs, will install on new hardware without verification of a previous install. Microsoft's Eric Ligman points out, to those people who weren't aware, that this is just as much a violation of the license as "borrowing" an install disk from a friend.

"while creators go uncompensated"
What's wrong with you?
Vista developers get paid big time money. Bill is one of the richest men on the planet. Steve is a billionaire. How much more money do you think they should make?
Stealing from Bill and Steve is a positive thing. Get a life, man!

I agree that Microsoft is price gouging, but I don't think that makes stealing from them right.

Personally, I don't like Microsoft's stripped down versions of their OSs, and I don't like the high prices they charge for the full versions, so I simply don't use their stuff.

If you don't like the prices a company is charging, or the products they are putting out, hit them in the wallet by buying and using competitors' products. That is a good thing. Hitting them in the wallet by stealing their products is not a good thing.